Cut-out device for telephone-transmitters.



L. E. RENNELLS. CUT-OUT DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE TRANSMITTERS. APPLICATION man MAR. 3|. 1911.

1,251,695. Patented Ja1 1.1,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. v

aummto'z LEON RENNELLS L. E. RENNELLS.

CUT-OUT DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE TRANSMITTERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3!, m1.

1,25 1,695. Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ummtoz LEON ERENN ELLS UNITED STATES PATENT ornion.

LEON E. BENNELLS, OF-ALBANY, OREGON.-

CUT-OUT DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE-TRANSMITTEBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1913.

Application filed March 81, 1917. Serial No. 158,939.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON E. RnNNnLLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Linn and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cut-Out Devices for Telephone-Transmitters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved cutout device for telephone transmitters and K hasfor its primary object to provide simple and effective means whereby a subscriber using the telephone may temporarily out out or dlsconnect the telephone transmitter from the circuit when he desire to converse with a person in the room without being heard by the party with who-m he is conducting the telephonic conversation.

It is another and more particular object ofmy invention to'provide a cut-out switch arranged in the transmitter circuit which may be arranged upon the standard of the telephone, located in a desk top, or at any other convenient place.

It is also an important object of the in vention to rovide a device for the above purpose whlch is exceedingly simple in its construction, positive and reliable in practical use and may be readily applied to the ordinary telephone without necessitating any alterations in its construction or variations in the wiring system.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a subscribers telephone with my improved cut out device applied thereto and showing said device in its normal position, the circuit for the transmitter being diagrammatically illustrated; i

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the movable element of the cut-out device shifted to position. whereby the transmitter is cut out of the circuit:

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and I Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the shiftable cut-out member.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a telephone of the conventional type, including .a base 5, a standard 6, a

transmitter head 7, and a mouth piece 8, the transmitter head being pivotally and adjustably mounted upon the upper end of the standard 6 in the usual manner. The receiver and receiver hook are, of course, provided, but are not illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being' unnecessary to a clear understanding of the present in vention.

In the transmitter head7, the usual carbon microphone 9 is arranged having'the terminals 10 and 11 respectively. One of the line wires-12 is connected to the electrode 10. 1

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, I have shown a series of spaced contacts designated 13, 14, and 15 respectively, mounted in the standard 6 in vertical spaced relation to each other. The other line wire 16 is connected to the intermediate contact member 14 and a wire 17 connects the contact member 15 to the other electrode 11 of the'microphone transmitter. A glass tube indicated at 18, containing pulverized charcoal, is arranged within the telephone standard 6, anda wire 19 extending downwardly into the charcoal is joined at one of its ends to the line wire 1.2. A wire 20 also extends downinto the'charcoal'and is connected to the other of the contacts 13.

Upon the exterior of the standard 6 of the telephone, a slidable' block 21 of insulating material is mounted between spaced guides ard. Suitable stops 23 and 24 are provided to limit the sliding movement of the block 21 in each direction.-

When the shiftable block 21 is inthe position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the

transmitter circuit is closed from the line wire 12 through the microphone transmitter 9, wire 17, contact 15, plate'22, contact 14, to the other line wire 16. Assuming that the person using the telephone desires to talk to another person in the room, in order 5 that such conversation may not be heard by the party at the other end of the line, the

member 21 is shifted to'the'p'osition seen in Fig. 2 and the plate 22 engaged with the contacts 13 and 14. The transmitter circuit is now shunted from the wire 16 throu 11 contact 14, plate 22, contact 13, wire 20, t e resistance, wire 19, to wire 12, and the wire 17 connected to the microphone electrode 11 is cut out of the circuit. It will be'understood that the receiver of the telephone remains in the circuit. In this manner the transmitter may be temporarily disconnected so that the user of the telephone may freely speak without placing his hand over the mouth piece 8, and with the assurance that no sound will be telephonically transmitted to the party with whom he has been talking.

' From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of my improved tele phone transmitter cuts out device will be clearly and fully understood. It is, of course, apparent that instead of using the pulverized carbon in the container 18, various other forms of electrical resistance units may be used in lieu thereof, such for instance, as a resistance wire, mercury, or a coil. It is also to be understood as within the scope of the present invention, that the cut-out switch and the resistance may be arranged in various other places than upon the standard of the telephone instrument. Thus, these parts may be suitably arranged in av desk structure, table, ora wall remote from the instrument. After talking to the person in the room, the user of the telephone may reverse the slide from the position shown in Fig. 1, again placing the transmitter microphone in the circuit so that he may continue his conversation with the party at the other end of the line. The device is exceedingly simple, not liable to get out of order, and requires no alterations whatso ever in the construction of the Ordinary telephone instrument now in general use. The

form, proportion, and general arrangement of the several parts of the invention may, of course, be greatly modified and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the Spirit and scope of the inention as cla med.

ill. be noted rom reference to vthe drawings, the contacts 13., 1.4, and 1.5 are so spaced that the circuit will be completed between the contacts 13 and it before t is broken through the contact 15. This is an important feature of the devicesince, if the shunt circuit were closed through the contacts 13 and 1.4: after the circuit had been broken through the contact 15, the switchboard operator at central would have knowledge of the operation of the cut-out switch Copies of thi Patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing Washington, I). C. r

and would presume that the parties were through talking and disconnect the line.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a telephone transmitter and circuit therefor, of spaced contacts interposed in the transmitter circuit, a shunt for the transmitter circuit including a resistance, an additional. contact connected to the resistance, and a movable switch element adapted to be engaged either with the first named contacts to render the transmitter circuit operative or with one of said first named contacts and the last named contact to shunt the circuit through the resistance and cut the transmitter out of the circuit.

2. The combination with a telephone transmitter and circuit therefor, of spaced contacts interposed in the transmitter circuit, a shunt for the transmitter circuit including a resistance, an additional contact connected to the resistance, and a movable switch element adapted to be engaged either with the first named contacts to render the transmitter circuit operative or with one of said first named contacts and the last named contact to shunt the circuit through the resistance and cut the tansmitter out of the circuit, said switch element engaging the latter contact prior to the breaking of the transmitter circuit through the first named contact.

3. The combination with a telephone instrument having a transmitter and circuit therefor, of spaced contacts mounted in the standard of the instrument and connected inv the transmitter circuit, a resistance unit mounted within the standard and connected in the transmittcii' circuit, an additional contact secured in the standard and connected to said resistance, and a frictioi'ially held shiftable switch element mounted on the standard and adapted to engage the first named contacts to close the transmitter circuit, said'elemeut being shiftable to engage the last named contact and break the circuit through the first named contacts to shunt the circuit through the resistance whereby the transmitter is cut out of the circuit.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEON E. RENNELLS.

lVitnesses:

GLADYS M; GILBERT, l V. L. lVLiRKS.

the Commissioner of Eatcn-ts, 

